Persephone - University of Warwick · Persephone had no food, but Hades tricked her into eating six...

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Persephone Newsletter Issue version 27 Sept 2013 Top 20 recruiters of 2013...so far!!! (as of 31.08.13) Addenbrookes ........................................... 14 Medway Maritime ....................................... 10 Queen Elizabeth, King’s Lynn .................... 10 Cumberland Infirmary .................................. 9 Royal Sussex County................................... 9 St Bartholomews .......................................... 9 City Hospital, Birmingham ............................ 8 Southampton General .................................. 8 Yeovil District ............................................... 8 Eastbourne District General ......................... 7 King’s College .............................................. 7 Manor Hospital ............................................. 7 Princess Royal, Orpington ........................... 7 Raigmore Hospital ....................................... 7 Royal United, Bath ....................................... 7 Charring Cross ............................................. 6 Maidstone Hospital ..................................... 6 Peterborough .............................................. 6 Torbay Hospital ............................................ 6 Duration of Trastuzumab with chemotherapy in women with early stage breast cancer: Six months versus Twelve Latest recruitment news A total of 154 sites are now open. 2932 patients randomised. We have now reached 73% of the recruitment target. 64 patients in July and 48 in August means our average recruitment in 2013 is 50 patients a month - the HTAs required monthly accrual! The 3000th patient is to be randomised in the next few weeks. Keep up the good work and help us reach the 4000th patient as soon as possible. ASCO 2013 confirmed that PERSEPHONE is raising a lot of interest in the worldwide breast cancer community. 3000th patient will be randomised soon. Please keep screening ! THE HANDS THAT HEAL by Joyce Radtke “Aſter I was diagnosed with cancer, I became fascinated by the story of Persephone, the Greek goddess of eternal spring, of innocence. Abducted to the Underworld, Persephone ate the seeds of the pomegranate, symbol of fruion and creavity. Eventually, she was released, innocent no longer. I imagine that she felt she had a new chance to find her life again, to embrace the light. Like Persephone, I journeyed in the dark realms and used the seeds of creavity to find my way home. By imagining myself as the goddess of eternal spring, I was able to escape from the pain, the grieving, the dark and barren landscape the doctors painted for me. I have returned to the light, to living moments as they come and embracing every second I have”. A BIG thank you to all site staff involved in screening, consenting and randomising patients into the trial, recruitment has picked-up a lot these past few weeks. PERSEPHONE Have you ever noticed that the trial logo is a pomegranate? Persephone is the Greek goddess of the Underworld. In one version of Greek mythology, Persephone was kidnapped by Hades and taken off to live in the underworld as his wife. Her mother, Demeter (goddess of the Harvest), went into mourning for her lost daughter and thus all green things ceased to grow. Zeus, the highest ranking of the Greek gods, could not allow the Earth to die, so he commanded Hades to return Persephone. It was the rule of the Fates that anyone who consumed food or drink in the Underworld was doomed to spend eternity there. Persephone had no food, but Hades tricked her into eating six pomegranate seeds while she was still his prisoner and so, because of this, she was condemned to spend six months in the Underworld every year. During these six months, when Persephone is sitting on the throne of the Underworld next to her husband Hades, her mother Demeter mourns and no longer gives fertility to the earth. This became an ancient Greek explanation for the seasons.

Transcript of Persephone - University of Warwick · Persephone had no food, but Hades tricked her into eating six...

Persephone Newsletter Issue version 27

Sept 2013

Top 20 recruiters of 2013...so far!!! (as of 31.08.13)

Addenbrookes ........................................... 14 Medway Maritime ....................................... 10 Queen Elizabeth, King’s Lynn .................... 10 Cumberland Infirmary .................................. 9 Royal Sussex County ................................... 9 St Bartholomews .......................................... 9 City Hospital, Birmingham ............................ 8 Southampton General .................................. 8 Yeovil District ............................................... 8 Eastbourne District General ......................... 7 King’s College .............................................. 7 Manor Hospital ............................................. 7 Princess Royal, Orpington ........................... 7 Raigmore Hospital ....................................... 7 Royal United, Bath ....................................... 7 Charring Cross ............................................. 6 Maidstone Hospital ..................................... 6 Peterborough .............................................. 6 Torbay Hospital ............................................ 6

Duration of Trastuzumab with chemotherapy in women with early stage breast cancer: Six months versus Twelve

Latest recruitment news

A total of 154 sites are now open. 2932 patients randomised. We have now reached 73% of the

recruitment target. 64 patients in July and 48 in August means our average recruitment

in 2013 is 50 patients a month - the HTAs required monthly accrual! The 3000th patient is to be randomised in the next few weeks. Keep up the good work and help us reach the 4000th patient as soon as possible. ASCO 2013 confirmed that PERSEPHONE is raising a lot of

interest in the worldwide breast cancer community.

3000th patient will be randomised soon. Please keep screening !

THE HANDS THAT HEAL by Joyce Radtke

“After I was diagnosed with cancer, I became fascinated by the story of Persephone, the Greek goddess of eternal spring, of innocence. Abducted to the Underworld, Persephone ate the seeds of the pomegranate, symbol of fruition and creativity. Eventually, she was released, innocent no longer. I imagine that she felt she had a new chance to find her life again, to embrace the light. Like Persephone, I journeyed in the dark realms and used the seeds of creativity to find my way home. By imagining myself as the goddess of eternal spring, I was able to escape from the pain, the grieving, the dark and barren landscape the doctors painted for me. I have returned to the light, to living moments as they come and embracing every second I have”.

A BIG thank you to all site staff involved in

screening, consenting and randomising patients into the trial,

recruitment has picked-up a lot these past few weeks.

PERSEPHONE

Have you ever noticed that the trial logo is a pomegranate?

Persephone is the Greek goddess of the Underworld. In one version of Greek mythology, Persephone was kidnapped by Hades and taken off to live in the underworld as his wife. Her mother, Demeter (goddess of the Harvest), went into mourning for her lost daughter and thus all green things ceased to grow. Zeus, the highest ranking of the Greek gods, could not allow the Earth to die, so he commanded Hades to return Persephone. It was the rule of the Fates that anyone who consumed food or drink in the Underworld was doomed to spend eternity there. Persephone had no food, but Hades tricked her into eating six pomegranate seeds while she was still his prisoner and so, because of this, she was condemned to spend six months in the Underworld every year. During these six months, when Persephone is sitting on the throne of the Underworld next to her husband Hades, her mother Demeter mourns and no longer gives fertility to the earth. This became an ancient Greek explanation for the seasons.

PERSEPHONE team

Trial Coordination (Warwick) Emma Ogburn [email protected] Phone: 0247 615 0492

Clinical Trial Administration (Warwick) Donna Howe [email protected] Phone: 0247 615 0600

Data Management (Warwick) Mabs Hoque [email protected] Phone: 0247 615 1127

Recruitment Facilitation (Warwick) Caroline Jevons [email protected] Phone: 0247 615 0990

Pharmacovigilance & Pharmacy (Cambridge) Anne-Laure Vallier

[email protected] Phone: 01223 348086

Translational Studies (Cambridge) Kevin Baker [email protected] Phone: 01223 348083

Spring best recruiters

The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the HTA programme, NIHR, NHS or the Department of Health

Our Spring best recruiters (recruiting between 1st April 2013 to 31st May 2013) were:

Addenbrookes Hospital (6 patients)

North Cumbria University Hospitals (4 patients) (photo on the right)

Royal Sussex (4 patients) (photo below) They all received luxury pomegranate toiletries as a thank

you gift.

Royal Sussex County: Helen Mitchell (Research Nurse) and Carla Chambers (Clinical Trials Data Officer)

A request for tissue blocks was sent in June. Only a third of the expected samples have arrived at present. We would very much appreciate if you could provide any outstanding samples ASAP. For further details, please contact [email protected].

Tissue blocks collection Staff News

We are pleased to announce that our colleague Shrushma gave birth to a little girl in May. Baby and Mum are doing very well. Shrushma will be back in the team after Easter.

Also, we wish farewell to Sharisse and Matthew who are both leaving the team after gaining promotions within Warwick CTU. We wish them the best in their new job and thank them both for all of their hard work.

We welcome to the team Mahbubul Hoque as Data Entry Clerk - contact details below.

North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust: From left to right: Patricia Nicholls (Data Manager), Helen Roe

(Consultant Cancer Nurse), Angela Birt (Research Team Leader) and Charlotte Eyles (Research Practitioner).

MHRA inspection

The MHRA has just announced that they will inspect the Cambridge Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, sponsor of the PERSEPHONE trial on the 11th-13th November. We’ll keep you updated in due time.